news at free will baptist bible college   Free Will Baptist Bible College in Nashville, TN, has been the official college of the Free Will Baptist Denomination since 1942. To find out more information about the school, visit their website at www.fwbbc.edu.

 

FWBBC Librarian Leads ABHE Workshop

Mrs. Carol Reid, librarian at Free Will Baptist Bible College since 1988, teamed with two other professional librarians to present a workshop titled “Standard #10: Library and Other Learning Resources” during the 65th annual meeting of the Association for Biblical Higher Education (ABHE) which met February 22-25 in Orlando, Florida. The 90-minute workshop included creative role playing by the three presenters as they walked attendees through 14 essential elements necessary to demonstrate proof of compliance for colleges and universities.

“We also talked about two hot topics with regard to the library standard,” Mrs. Reid said, “distance learning and off-site campuses. We answered questions from the 30 people in our session. I concluded that good libraries have three Ps—good people (both in the library and the administration), good paper trail (to document the work done), and a good plan (recognizing where they are and how to get where they want to be).”

Three other FWBBC faculty/staff also attended the combined meeting of ABHE/ABACC (Association of Business Administrators of Christian Colleges)—Dr. Kevin Hester, Theological Studies chairman; Mrs. Debbie Mouser, manager of the Enrollment Management Office; and Mr. Craig Mahler, vice president for financial affairs. Each participated in plenary sessions and followed one of 10 workshop tracks that included more than 30 individual workshops.

President Matt Pinson said, “I am confident that no one else in ABHE was better qualified to explain and expand on Library Standard 10 than Mrs. Reid. Her knowledge, professional skills, and dedication have earned her an excellent reputation among her peers. Her leadership is also a credit to FWBBC as faculty, students, and others in the greater Nashville community benefit from her work.”

ABHE is the national organization approved by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) to accredit baccalaureate degree-granting Bible colleges in the United States and Canada. FWBBC’s accreditation reaffirmation was confirmed by ABHE during the 2012 meeting, along with a commendation for the college’s response document, a massive project spearheaded by Dr. Kevin Hester. FWBBC personnel have provided ongoing ABHE leadership for a number of years.

Mrs. Reid previously served as secretary of ABHE’s Commission on Accreditation. She was elected to the Board of Directors for the Foundation for the Advancement of Christian Libraries in 2011. She also writes articles for The Christian Librarian, journal of the Association of Christian Librarians.

A 1977 FWBBC graduate, Mrs. Reid earned the Master of Library Science degree from Vanderbilt University. She is married to Dr. Garnett Reid, a FWBBC Bible professor specializing in Old Testament studies.

FWBBC also received public commendation at the annual ABHE meeting for being one of two member institutions elected to America’s “Best Christian Workplaces.”
FWBBC underwent two accreditation reaffirmation visits in the 2010-2011 academic year—the regional visit by SACS (Southern Association of Colleges and Schools) and the national visit by ABHE.

President Matt Pinson said, “What an amazing year this has been for FWBBC with accreditation reaffirmations from both of our accrediting agencies. I cannot say enough about our wonderful faculty, staff, and student body. I’m especially grateful for the leadership provided by Dr. Kevin Hester, our compliance Committee chairman, in the reaffirmation process. I hope you will help us get the word out to every Free Will Baptist home that FWBBC provides top quality education for our students.”

Moody Energizes FWBBC Students at Forlines Lectures

The 2012 Leroy Forlines Lectures brought a dynamic push to the Free Will Baptist Bible College campus as Dr. Eddie Moody’s four hard-hitting messages on “Character in a Corrupt Culture” left FWBBC students eager for more and the faculty all-smiles that the North Carolina pastor/educator unfolded such a biblically powerful and relevant series.

Dr. Moody launched the February 21-22 series by providing every attendee with a colorful, seven-page handout that included website connections, pertinent quotes, scriptural notations, timely outlines, and historical illustrations. His opening statement contextualized the two-day event by reminding the audience that “God always knows what’s coming” and urging them to “do things without complaining” as they intersect a culture floundering without a biblical foundation.

In addition to the plenary sessions in FWBBC’s Memorial Auditorium, Dr. Moody also arranged to lead smaller peer-mentoring seminars Monday and Tuesday afternoons for resident assistants, Student Services personnel, and students interested in serving as peer mentors. The two-hour sessions allowed students and staff to interact one-on-one with Moody who recently published a 230-page book, First Aid for Emotional Hurts, as well as four booklets focusing on depression, grief, addiction, and finding needed help.

“Dr. Moody did everything we hoped he would and more,” President Matt Pinson said. “He was hand-picked by Professor Leroy Forlines to lead this year’s lectures. He put everything in easy-to-understand language and communicated with zeal, a pastor’s heart, and the insight of a professional counselor. We look forward to having Dr. Moody back on campus. He understands students; he understands education; he understands how culture and theology come together to create opportunity for evangelism and healing for our culture.”

The Leroy Forlines Lectures began in 1993 at FWBBC as a means of bringing well known speakers to campus to address challenging issues of the day related to theology, philosophy, worldviews, global evangelism, and other topics.
Dr. Eddie Moody, a 1989 FWBBC graduate, has pastored Tippett’s Chapel Free Will Baptist Church (Clayton, NC) since 2000. He is in his 17th year on the faculty at North Carolina Central University where he serves as associate professor and department chair. He completed a Ph.D. in counselor education at North Carolina State University.

ABHE Reaffirms FWBBC 10-Year National Accreditation

The Association for Biblical Higher Education (ABHE) notified Free Will Baptist Bible College that its national accreditation has been reaffirmed for 10 years, according to Provost Greg Ketteman. ABHE announced FWBBC’s reaffirmation during its 65th annual meeting in February and commended the institution’s response to recommendations by the visiting team. ABHE is the agency that accredits degree-granting Bible colleges in the United States and Canada.

The reaffirmation followed a spring 2011 evaluation when a three-member ABHE on-site team spent four days on campus reviewing FWBBC’s academic programs, faculty and staff qualifications, finances, physical plant, library, board and governance, strategic planning, student life, and other dimensions of the college’s operations. Over a period of two years, supporting documents were prepared for the reaffirmation visit.

“ABHE reaccreditation visits push the college to rise above past successes and challenges,” said Dr. Ketteman. “The reaffirmation is conducted by professionals who understand first-hand what it takes to create a quality higher education program with limited resources and a biblical mission. This reaffirmation sends a clear signal to our constituency that parents can trust FWBBC to deliver on its educational promise.”

The reaffirmation process involved the entire college family as the on-site team examined trends, records, facts, truth-in-advertising, and conducted staff and student interviews, as well as examining financial compliance and other areas.

Dr. Kevin Hester, FWBBC’s Compliance Committee chairman, said, “This reaffirmation by ABHE reflects the outstanding work done by FWBBC’s administration, faculty, and staff to meet rigorous standards and compliance required by the premier Bible college accrediting body in the United States. It also verifies that FWBBC continues its commitment to excellence in education.”